I bought this towards the end of last season and tried to get it installed but ran out of time as we spent as much time as possible on the water playing. I keep my boat at my lake home, so working on the boat during the week isn't an option. Anyway, I started taking pics of the project and have posted below so you all can see how well it's made. There are also some pics of an installed Cargo Rack that I took at the Monster showroom.

I will update as I get this installed sometime next month when I put the boat back in the water.

more shots of installed rack at Monster showroom
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/DSC02439.jpg
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/DSC02442.jpg

close ups of attachment point. you "pop" these out of the brackets to allow the back of the rack to pivot down so you can access whatever you have stored on the top. The front pivots are the same in design and can also easily be removed from the brackets so you can take the bimini off easily when towing or storing. I plan to remove mine and store under the cover when not in use to prevent squirrels from chewing on the canvas.
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/DSC02443.jpg
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/DSC02444.jpg

moombadaze

02-20-2009, 11:17 AM

Drew, I know you really dont want to dill into the tower for the mounts--what about clamps? I think you could use some speaker clamps and drill the clamps so the mounts would be bolted to the clamps.

wolfeman131

02-20-2009, 12:02 PM

I thought about that too! But, I think volfo may have talked some sense into me b/c if I decide to get a new boat (had to check to make sure wife wasn't around when I typed that :)) it would be the XLV and I'd probably just order it with the Z5. I'm thinking that taking the Cargo rack with me to the new boat really isn't going to happen. I mean who wants a brnad new, shiny Moomba with an old top?

So, I think I'm going be drillin'!

moombadaze

02-20-2009, 12:47 PM

Drew, thinking about is just the start, that thought wont go away-trust me i know

Ian Brantford

02-20-2009, 05:22 PM

Thanks very much for this report. This is the rack that I would like to get for my XLV. Hopefully I'll be able to fit the larger size.

Does the rack include a weight-carrying specification?

Also, do you think that it's actually safe to carry a board with no boots? I wonder if a net or something might be needed. I've got more boards than boots, and almost lost a board in from the racks once.

MrsZ

02-20-2009, 08:05 PM

Wolfeman, that Z-Cargo looks awesome. I KNOW you will love it. Do you need me to take pics of how ours (stock) is mounted?

MrsZ

02-20-2009, 08:07 PM

Ian, I am thinking that Wolfeman just wanted to SEE something in his Z-Cargo. He wont be travelling that way. :)

wolfeman131

02-20-2009, 08:17 PM

You shouldn't have a problem getting the larger size on your XLV as I bought the larger for my '08 Outback V.

I don't recall a weight spec in the installation directions but will check when back at the lake or you can call Colton at Monster.

Being safe for boards with no boots might depend on how you drive, but I think you'd be OK. There are 2 bungie cords that run across the top for securing boards, skis, etc. and a removable "spider" that you use to secure tubes. This spider is an X shaped piece of neoprene with 4 bungie cords that run to the corners of the rack.

volfo

02-21-2009, 10:46 PM

be careful with boards with no boots. I thought there was no way my board (with boots on) would fall out of my monster rack and so I didn't bother securing it with the cord most of the time. I was right all summer. Then late fall, one of the last rides of the season, I looked up just in time to see it coming out. My son was sitting in the rear bench and I jumped up just in time to keep it from falling on his head. Slammed into the side of the boat pretty hard, but no harm done surprisingly.

It was lazy and stupid of me and I won't make that mistake again. I guess it might never happen again in 10 years but if you hit a wake just right, or who knows what, it just isn't worth it. Especially if you have people sitting in the boat behind the storage point. Although I feel stupid for posting this, I'm hoping somebody who occasionally does the same thing might read this and maybe I'll save you a similar experience.

RobertJ

02-22-2009, 01:12 AM

Ditto to always using the cords. Two years ago a friend's daughter (11 years old) did not get out of the way and the end result broken nose, stitches and a lot of blood. He felt like a horrible. he always makes the time to put the boards in correctly and takes the time to use the cords, so do I.

Ian Brantford

02-24-2009, 05:32 PM

Don't worry -- I am quite finicky when it comes to safely securing things. The time that I almost lost a board on the wakeboard racks was based on the faulty conclusion that the rubber liner in them would provide plenty of friction when held in place by the elastic cord. Either the shaking jiggled them loose over an hour or so, or the friction failed when getting wet. Of course, simply screwing one of my shallower spare binding screws into a hole ahead of the rack would have fixed it just fine.

If I get this cargo rack, I might just fashion my own strap with an elastic netting on the back. This would mostly envelope any bootless wakeboards, boards, plus kneeboards and any future wakesurf boards.

Thanks again for the answers on the rack!

wolfeman131

03-22-2009, 10:35 PM

OK, some of you may have seen that 1LOKMOOMBA (aka Danny) put my OEM bimini on his ride this past weekend. Looks sweet and I couldn't be happier how it all worked out. Especially since it got me motivated to finally finish up the install of the Monster Cargo Rack I bought last season.

First, for those that are looking at the Z5, take a look at the Monster Cargo Rack. It's $700 vs the $1,500 - $2,000 that the dealers have been quoting. I've checked out the Z5 as I wanted one bad after being on zegm's boat and saw how it worked. I tried and tried to find a way to get one to work on the rad-a-cage, but struck out. The Z5 does look better, attaches with clamps vs screwing into the tower and may be a bit larger (?), but I think if the functionality is why you want the Z5, then the Monster Cargo should be something you consider.

So, the install wasn't all that bad. I figured if you guys were drilling big ole' holes in the bottom of your boats, I could put a few screws into the tower. Worst case, I mess it all up and then just go get the Z5 - on a new XLV!

I didn't take pics during the install, but following are some pics of it on the boat.

locked in place & ready to go
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/SANY0656.jpg
http://i530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/wolfeman131/Cargo%20Rack/SANY0651.jpg

Looks great. I, too, bought one last year and have not installed it yet. But today, given the great weather, I decided to go ahead and put it together as far as I could without having the boat handy. I am also impressed with the quality. Mine is the smaller version because my monster tower mt2 gets narrower at the top than the rad-a-cage, and that is all tht would fit on it. I hope mine looks as good as yours!

moombadaze

03-23-2009, 08:05 AM

Drew, that looks great and looks like its a little longer=more shade than the original bimini. Can you store a board on top like the Z5

how did the backup camera work for you?

wolfeman131

03-23-2009, 09:50 AM

Daze,

Yes, I believe that it will provide more coverage than the OEM and with a 1 yr old, that made selling it to the wife a bit easier. :)

It is like the Z5 in terms of storing boards on the top. I believe one difference between the two is that the cross pieces on the Z5 are over the top of the bimini canvas while they are underneath the Monster Cargo canvas. It might be hard to see in the pics, but there are bungees that run across that you would put the boards under to secure to the top. There is also a "X" shaped piece of neoprene that has 4 bungee cords that you can use to hold a tube up on the top. I'll load it up next weekend and post some more pics.

Wolfeman, Looks great glad you got it installed. Now you got me wanting to go get the backup camera, but I'll get the kids to tell me when I'm lined up.

Ian Brantford

09-04-2009, 09:52 PM

I finally got a Monster Tower Cargo Rack and assembled it today. I'll have a neighbour help install it tomorrow morning before heading to the lake. One issue: how do you safely stow it for trailering? It's too big to fit in my truck, and I do not see a safe way to secure it inside the boat.

Razzman

09-04-2009, 10:49 PM

Can't speak for the Monster unit Ian but the Z5 stays up, you don't remove it for towing.

Ian Brantford

09-06-2009, 10:34 PM

The manual specifies a 45 MPH limit when trailering. I guess I'll have to install some internal rings for a tie-down strap to attach in the boat's interior.

I find that the rear supports are too long. In order to make anything like the intended placement, the rack will be much lower than the original bimini (creating similar bang-your-head problems as if I had tower speakers) and too far back to accommodate much of an inflated tube. It looks like I'll have to cut the rear supports to have comparable position and height as the original bimini. Do any other owners have alternatives?

wolfeman131

09-09-2009, 01:08 PM

I find that the rear supports are too long. In order to make anything like the intended placement, the rack will be much lower than the original bimini (creating similar bang-your-head problems as if I had tower speakers) and too far back to accommodate much of an inflated tube. It looks like I'll have to cut the rear supports to have comparable position and height as the original bimini. Do any other owners have alternatives?

Ian,

Did you notice the rear supports are adjustable for 3 positions by pushing in the spring button? Also, you should be able to move the mounting position of the rear supports toward the middle of the tower and this will effectively shorten them/raise the back end of the tower.

You can move the bimini positton forward or back by changing either 1) where you mount on the front tower legs (lower = forward) which I don't think is as good of a solution as 2) moving the crossbars on the bimini frame to a different position. I did not mount the front crossbar where the instructions stated as it left the bimini farther forward than I wanted.

BTW - I have the forward folding rad-a-cage tower on my '08 OBV and could not get a fully inflated tube squeezed between the bimini and tower. I had to let a bit of air out.

Hope this helps. Send me a PM if you have any other questions.

Drew

wolfeman131

09-09-2009, 01:15 PM

The manual specifies a 45 MPH limit when trailering.

I think I saw a warning label on Zegm's Z5 that the max towing speed was 45 too. The 2 companies probably used the same lawyer.

Ian Brantford

09-10-2009, 12:50 PM

Ian,

Did you notice the rear supports are adjustable for 3 positions by pushing in the spring button?

Yes. Even at the shortest setting, they are about 30% too long for a good fit.

Also, you should be able to move the mounting position of the rear supports toward the middle of the tower and this will effectively shorten them/raise the back end of the tower.

Yes, and the instruction manual indicates to angle them a bit for stability. However, to make it fit at the desired height, I would have to angle them at at least 45 degrees, which will put an unintended shearing force on the attachments and a compressive force on the frame all of the time. I have attached some pictures of our various attempts to find a good fit. Oops -- my friend was holding it upside down, but I think that the pictures convey the right message about the length. I simply put the new bimini on top of the old one while we experimented.

You can move the bimini positton forward or back by changing either 1) where you mount on the front tower legs (lower = forward) which I don't think is as good of a solution as 2) moving the crossbars on the bimini frame to a different position.

In my case, it looks like there is quite sufficient adjustment available for the front mounts to do what I want. It is just the rear ones that are a problem.

BTW - I have the forward folding rad-a-cage tower on my '08 OBV and could not get a fully inflated tube squeezed between the bimini and tower. I had to let a bit of air out.

I have the rear-folding model sold with the XLV. It is of very similar design as the typical model shown in the installation diagrams. However, even from those diagrams, at least the rear 1/3 of the rack is lost as inflateable tube storage due to the position of the tower's horizontal tubing. My guess is that only kid-sized inflateables were intended here.

Hope this helps. Send me a PM if you have any other questions.
Drew

Thanks very much.

wolfeman131

09-10-2009, 03:46 PM

Ian - the second pic looks just about how I mounted mine with the bracket on the bimini frame closer to the side (vs the rear of the frame) and on the back of the rear tower tube. I had to rotate the bracket on the frame so that it releases correctly. See pic below where I have tried to show how it is angled on the frame.

I'd guess mine are mounted close to 45 degrees, and haven't noticed that this is an issue.

Ian Brantford

09-23-2009, 04:49 PM

Thanks for all of these pictures and feedback. I have scarcely been anywhere near the lake for a few weeks, and now it looks like my season is about over. So, I haven't gotten to finish the job and enjoy my Monster rack at all. :-( It is still sitting, assembled but not installed, right in my little-used living room. Maybe I'll get to do use once before winterising.

viking

08-05-2010, 05:50 PM

Nice write-up!!
Anybody installed one of these racks with tower speakers on the rad-a-cage? Enough clearance? How are the support poles mounted to ensure enough clearance for the tower cans?
Thanks!

I see there is a new lower price of $599 for the cargo rack at Monster towers. Decent price.........does anyone know offhand if I need the Small or Medium for an OUTBACK rad-a-cage 1 5/8 tower?

I'll go measure but thought someone might already have it?

wolfeman131

08-07-2010, 11:33 PM

I bought the larger one.

viking

11-10-2010, 04:24 PM

Still thinking about getting one of these. I have to fold my tower down/up every outing to store in my garage. Anybody using it that has to remove for storage on a repeated basis? Is it a PITA?

Also tow everywhere so I realize I'd need to remove the fabric every time to tow if it won't fit in the bed of my truck.

Might be more work than it's worth?
I need a shop with large overhead door :(

lsvboombox

11-10-2010, 05:25 PM

when people say the large one do they mean the medium? as the only choice is small and medium..

moombadaze

11-11-2010, 07:50 AM

I need a shop with large overhead door :(

Same here, hate haveing to lower and raise that tower. I dont even use it other than for the racks for board storage when on the lake

kaneboats

11-11-2010, 09:57 AM

That's what I was thinking. Of course, he doesn't really need it. You can pop up on a surf board using the pylon. I don't mind putting the tower up on the LSV. It is way easier than raising the aftermarket tower was on my O/B. That was a PITA. The bimini was even worse.

kaneboats

11-11-2010, 01:14 PM

I think Daze needs to get little D wakeboarding so he uses that tower. Go D Go!

kaneboats

11-11-2010, 01:51 PM

Come on, Ed. ETIQUETTE!! Don't you know you are only supposed to pee off the NON-surf side when someone is surfing?

wolfeman131

11-11-2010, 02:11 PM

Still thinking about getting one of these. I have to fold my tower down/up every outing to store in my garage. Anybody using it that has to remove for storage on a repeated basis? Is it a PITA?

Also tow everywhere so I realize I'd need to remove the fabric every time to tow if it won't fit in the bed of my truck.

Might be more work than it's worth?
I need a shop with large overhead door :(

Nope, not more work than it's worth IMO. I love this thing. I put mine on/pull it off every weekend at the lake as I don't want the dang squirrels to eat chew it like they did my OEM bimini.

To remove, you simple push in the spring loaded buttons on the 4 clamps/attach pioints and rotate so that you can "pop" it off. I drop mine into the cockpit area and throw the cover over to keep it safe & sound.

I think you could tow without having to remove the cover, but if you wanted to remove it, I don't think it's as difficult as the Z5 biminis. The cover has a rope w/ ratchets around the perimeter and velco to keep in on the frame. While I haven't removed mine, I think it would be as simple as loosening up the rope, pulling apart the velcro and taking it off the frame.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

wolfeman131

11-11-2010, 02:15 PM

when people say the large one do they mean the medium? as the only choice is small and medium..

Medium is what you want.

I believe that when I bought mine, the choices were Medium and Large and my guess is that they plan to release an even larger model for the 24 ft boats, so they moved the size designations down.

wolfeman131

11-11-2010, 02:21 PM

Same here, hate haveing to lower and raise that tower. I dont even use it other than for the racks for board storage when on the lake

It holds your speakers. Oh wait, have I ever been in your boat with the stereo on?

I know I've heard Kane's blaring across the lake. So have my daughters. I had to try and explain a lot to them after hours of subjection to 80's hair band rock. I think we got through the review of AC/DC's "Big Balls" rather well.

viking

11-11-2010, 05:32 PM

Thanks Wolfman!
Doesn't sound like it's much more work than folding up my current bimini and zipping up the cover on it for tow then?? Probably a 3 minute jobby!

As I'd have to remove to garage it anyway, probably would remove it to tow. so I guess the real issue is will it fit in the bed of my truck? I'm going to have to do some measuring and see.

Appreciate the input

moombadaze

11-11-2010, 07:22 PM

[quote=wolfeman131;118237]It holds your speakers. Oh wait, have I ever been in your boat with the stereo on?

quote]

speakers have been removed as I rarely used them and when we did I thought they sounded crappy.

I believe that when I bought mine, the choices were Medium and Large and my guess is that they plan to release an even larger model for the 24 ft boats, so they moved the size designations down.

Was yours 60"? sound right?

Also does anyone have a pic of the Monster Cargo rack installed on an LSV?

KSmith

01-17-2011, 06:14 PM

Okay, the weather and my back haven't been cooperative to getting back into the install mode but here are a few pictures of how I am mounting the new Taco Ball & Socket hinges to Speaker Clamps rather than drilling the tower to mount the ball & socket hinges sent with the Monster Tower Cargo Bimini. The new clamps and Taco hinges cost about 200 bucks, but I think it'll be worth it.

The original clamps sent with the bimini had the mounting holes too far apart to mount them on the speaker clamps and they have an arched base. So I ordered some flat bottom hinges that had the mounting holes closer together than would fit onto the flat mounting area of the speaker clamp.

Edit: The first two pictures from left to right are of the original hinge from Monster (left hinge) and the Taco hinge (right Hinge) and it displays the size and mounting hole spacing

viking

01-17-2011, 07:48 PM

Ksmith........very interested to see how this all comes together! Great idea and may have to copy you in the future if/when I upgrade to a cargo style bimini.

On a 2nd note - I get kinda hungry every time to discuss your mod. I'm craving mexican :)

KSmith

01-18-2011, 07:31 AM

Hey Viking, I'll post some more picture when I get it mounted, but there isn't much else to show. Wolfeman did a good job documenting, which I why I am just appending to his thread.

The rack is assembled and sitting in the garage right now, the clamps and hinges for the tower side are ready. Now it is mostly just deciding where to mount the clamps which is dependant on what height I want the bimini.

I have the Roswell Swivel board racks on my boat which are installed on the middle oval crossbar. I also have a set of standard fixed racks installed in the bottom crossbar (set up to use with WakeSkis Port, and Slalom skis on Starboard).

I have a pair of double bullet tower speaker cans and a multitude of speakers (a set each of Polk DB651 and Infinity Reference 612M) that I would like to mount on the tower.

So when the weather permits, perhaps even tomorrow, I need to get the rack out into the Moomba, load up the racks on the tower and get a set of tower speaker cans out and start messing around with different heights to mount the bimini.

I think I have conflicting requiremnts though, I want the Swivel board racks to be functional with wakeboards and surf boards, but I would also like to mount the tower speakers, I would also like enough space between the tower and/or speaker cans and the rack to put another surf board or two on or perhaps a kneeboard.

So I may have to sacrifice the tower speakers, or do the dreaded micky mouse mounting on top, which I'd rather not do.

At any rate, I'll post some pictures when I am finished, I may take a few pictures of the bimini at different mouting heights just for fun if I remember and have a free hand

wolfeman131

01-18-2011, 08:40 AM

Ohhhhh, this makes me so mad at myself for not being more patient to do this mod for the bimini! I asked the folks at Monster a 1/2 dozen times about doing something like this, but they said it couldn't be done and I wasn't aware that you could buy the "tacos" aftermarket.

AWESOME MOD! Monster should at least consider putting together an optional kit for this.

KSmith

01-18-2011, 12:41 PM

Thanks Wolfeman.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing about Monster offering it as an alternative. If they went with Taco as the sole source Taco makes the same hinge as I used but like the original hinges have a 7/8 arch to the bottom.

The down side is the taco hinges use a pull pin where as the original hinges us a spring loaded twist pin with a cut out to allow the ball to escape the socket.

I kind of like the twist pin idea, no lost pins. Yes the Taco pins have a teather but those tend to break after awhile.

I like the twist locks on the original hinges, and since they fit the 7/8 tubing with the arched bottoms I'll use those on the rack and as the release points when droppng the back of the rack.

They could offer all the same clamps sizes as DIY, the one thing they would have to do to make it user friendly is drill the mounting holes in the speaker clamps as I did (since there are no existing holes in the speaker clamps the are in the proper spacing or orientation).

It'd cost a bit more but you could make up say half the cost by not having 4 extra ball and socket hinges that won't get used.

Anyway... back to work I go:shock:

KSmith

01-30-2011, 04:54 PM

Here are a few pics after the install.

brain_rinse

01-30-2011, 05:24 PM

Looks great! Do you think it would be possible to shorten the bar (3rd pic) and move the clamp closer to the outside of the tower?

KSmith

01-30-2011, 05:44 PM

Looks great! Do you think it would be possible to shorten the bar (3rd pic) and move the clamp closer to the outside of the tower?

Possible yes, and actually something I am going to be tinkering with. The bar shown is the adjustable bar that comes with the bimini. It is made from a 7/8 OD tube and 3/4 OD tube that slides inside the larger tube and has the spring loaded button to allow it to extend to several sizes. It is in the shortest length as shown.

What I have done is order a couple ball hinge end caps with the straight configuration and two ball hinge end caps with the 90 angle. I have a bunch of 7/8 tubing so when they arrive I am going to cut a shorter length of tubing and use the new end caps to make my own non-adjustable bars. I could use part of the existing bars but I didn't want to ruin them. But if one wanted to they could use the two 90 degree end caps and the 7/8 tubing section, just toss the 3/4 tubing and end cap sections, cut down the existing 7/8 to length and put the two new end caps on.

I should add that on my install the rear bars extend in toward the center of the more than wolfmans as I installed the bimini higher. By installing it higher The mounts needed to be moved in until I can get the parts to make shorter bars. If the bimini is installed with more space between the tower top and bimini then it wouldn't be a severe. I played with different heights. One set of heights was to allow me to mount the double bullet speakers cans I have under the cross bar (a typical speaker mounting) but I decided I liked it better higher so I could stand up more under it and also I made sure when I have surf and wake boards in the Rowsell swivel racks they could swivel all the way in without impacting the bimini. The stock bimini was lower and when it was being used the racks couldn't swivel fully as they would hit the bimini and straps. I had the same issue with this bimini when I had it mounted lower, so I moved it up until I had clearance to swivel the loaded racks fully.

Anyway, depending on how the bimini is mounted will effect the length or the bars required and angles to mount them unless one tinkers with it.

brain_rinse

01-30-2011, 06:33 PM

Cool, looking forward to seeing how it goes for you. If you could get those supports closer to vertical I think it would be a much cleaner looking setup.

moombadaze

01-30-2011, 06:36 PM

Great looking top

is it just me, in pic 3 does it looks like there is a crack in the tower

KSmith

01-30-2011, 07:41 PM

Great looking top

is it just me, in pic 3 does it looks like there is a crack in the tower

If you are talking about the vertical line between the welds to the right, that is where the top section bolts to the left side. The tower is 3 pieces, two sides and the top center section that bolt together.

moombadaze

01-30-2011, 08:55 PM

yep thats was what I saw.

viking

01-30-2011, 09:26 PM

Nice job - think it turned out great. Too bad Monster doesn't offer a "add-on" kit to do just that! I would think it'd be a hot seller?

KSmith

01-31-2011, 06:29 AM

Nice job - think it turned out great. Too bad Monster doesn't offer a "add-on" kit to do just that! I would think it'd be a hot seller?

I exchanged some emails with Monster. Not sure they had any real interested but I thought I'd toss the concept their way just the same. They did ask for some pictures so I sent them some. That was the last I heard out of them. Oh well... I tired.

KSmith

02-24-2011, 10:22 PM

Hey Todd,

You will need 4 of these speaker clamps size 1 7/8.
http://www.bulletlines.com/wakeboard...amp-p/1142.htm

Our towers are 1 5/8 BUT the 1 5/8 clamps did not fit well as they were a tad too small. The 1 7/8 are too big BUT some self-stick non-slip pads from Lowes (or probably Home Depot) cut to fit the inside of the hinge worked great. I cut the non-slip pad I put on mine a bit large, peeled the tape off, stuck them onto the inside of the clamps and used a bare utility knife blade to trim.

Next you will need 4 new Ball and Socket Hinges which will replace 4 that come with the top.

That is all the major parts you need to not have to drill holes in the tower.

I mounted my cargo top higher than Drew so if you look at the pictures at http://www.moomba.com/msgboard/showt...t=10144&page=6 Post #51 middle picture you'll see the rear support bars at laid down toward the center of the tower at a pretty steep angle. To address that I also bought two 90 degree and two straight Ball end caps and used some 7/8 polished aluminum tubing I had laying around to make shorter rear supprt bars. I could have used the 7/8 tubes and the 90 degree end caps off the support bars from Monster but I would have had to cut the 7/8 tubing and then the rear support bars as sent from Monster, which are adjustable, would have been ruined, but it would have some a few bucks. Instead of ruining the original rear support bars I built new shorter ones, which I cut the 7/8 tubing to 4 inches. I do not have pictures of this as I just did it and then it is going to rain so I button it up. It'' take some this weekend and add to the original install thread from Drew like I have been.

I bought the 90 degree and the straight Ball end caps from here:
http://www.marinepartdepot.com/newststdehi.html

But I see they do not have the 90 degree Ball end caps listed anymore. But If you wanted to shorten the rear support bars and you wanted to use the Monster supplied parts (the 90 degreeBall ends and 7/8 tubing) from the original rear support bars all you would need are two 7/8 Straight Ball end caps like these MPD_8801Regular from MarinePartDepot.

If you need the 90 degree Ball end caps you can get them at the same west marine link as above but use part number B. 90° Top Cap Side Mount, 7/8" 6471304 F11-0180-1 In Stock $24.99

Yeah, they are way more expensive at west marine than the clearance at the other site. I paid top dollar as the clearance wasn't going on when I bought them. Anyway...

NOTE: DO NOT order the MPD_8803 ball hinges show at MarinePartDepot as they are too big to mount on the speaker clamps. Good price but they won't work.

Next I also decided I did not want to use the last 2 Ball Hinges from Monster that get screwed into the cargo top frame, these two hinges are the cargo top hinges for the rear support bars to hook into. So... I ordered 2 Slide mount ball hinges from
http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/14447-...-flat-7-8.html

F. Stainless Steel Jaw Slide - 1" 6471346 F12-0300-1 In Stock $27.99

To Be Continued:

KSmith

02-24-2011, 10:22 PM

Part Deux

What these do is wrap the 1" cargo frame with stainless and allows yo to tinker with mounting locations and angles easily as the original Monster clamps you need to drill into the cargo top frame. These made it easier to adjust and in my mind provide much better strength and support that 4 screws as teh stainless wraps the 1" frame tubing. The problem was these were a major pain to get around the bends in the frame tubing. It can be done but it'll scratch the tubing up some, which is minor to me and some of the scratches get hidden by the canvas. You can somewhat see these in the 4th picture from the left on the Moomba install thread post #15 (same link as above)

You will also need at least one 5/32 drill bit (more is better in case they dull or break). Also you will need a 10-24 Thread Tap to add thread to the mounting holes, I got mine from Sears. Then you will need 8 10-14 X 1/2 stainless screws (Lowes or Home Depot), and some LocTite (I used LocTite Red)

Okay now that you have ordered what you want from the basics 4 speaker clamps, non-slip pads, and 4 new Taco flat bottom Ball Hinges or you go all out like I did, the next thing you need to do is mount the new Ball hinges to the new Speaker Clamps.

You'll need to make the Center lines Across the flat round mounting area on the speaker clamps. I just used a couple framing squares and pencil and eyeballed it. But it needs to be as close as possible to center. Once the centerlines are marked place a new Ball Hinge onto the centerline showing through the screw holes. Mark the screw holes onto the flat round mounting area and drill them out with a 5/32 drill bit. Once the mounting holes are drilled you will need to use th e10-24 Tap to thread the holes. After that add some LocTite to the newly threaded mounting holes and secure the Ball Hinges to the Speaker Clamps.

Add the non-slip pad (it is a black flexible plastic looking pad about 4 x 6 inches I think several pads per package, kind of a ribbed texture and self-stick on the back,)to the speaker clamps if you have not already.

From there it gets easy to finish the install.

Good luck and if I need to clarify anything let me know.

Great looking boat BTW!

Kraig

viking

02-26-2011, 11:38 AM

I think this Mod should be a "sticky" for easy retrieval in the future?

KSmith

02-27-2011, 03:50 PM

Here is a snap of the short rear support bars I built to replace the longer original ones.

bbuhtz

03-28-2011, 04:37 PM

I'm wondering, could you take the rear mounting rods from the rack and attach them to the front tower crossmember, seeing as they come factory very long, and that i have 4 tower speakers on the rear crossmember. I would think this would be possible... am I wrong? I would think this would also allow you to fit snug up against the tower speakers rather than being so low creating future headaches.

Sea N' Things

03-28-2011, 04:38 PM

Nice job, looks good :)

11 Outback V

03-28-2011, 04:51 PM

I recently finished my install, w the help of a few:rolleyes:. You should be able to mount the rear supports just about anywhere as long as you dont get real aggressive with the angle. I have four tower speakers on my boat and mounted the rear supports to the rear bar w no problems.
If you follow the instructions on here it is very easy.

2007 Outback V

03-28-2011, 05:39 PM

I recently finished my install, w the help of a few:rolleyes:. You should be able to mount the rear supports just about anywhere as long as you dont get real aggressive with the angle. I have four tower speakers on my boat and mounted the rear supports to the rear bar w no problems.
If you follow the instructions on here it is very easy.

No pics, please do share. :)

11 Outback V

03-28-2011, 06:07 PM

I will gladly share the next time I pull my boat out of the garage, hopefully this weekend!!:p:cool:

bbuhtz

03-29-2011, 09:01 AM

Yeah a picture would be helpful so I can visualize my case before I drop 600 bones. I know ssmith posted a picture of the rack with speakers but my tower is slightly different. Thanks

KSmith

03-29-2011, 02:59 PM

There is nothing written in stone that says you have to attach the rear supports to the crossbars front or back. You could have the attachment point on the rear legs with the support bars extending up to the bimini. The only real restriction is as was stated before try and keep the angle of the bar between the mounting points reasonable, and if needed shorten the support bars (they entend pretty far stock). There are several places on the outer bimini frame that the rear support bars cab be attached, based on where the bimini frame is exposed from the canvas.

bbuhtz

03-29-2011, 03:59 PM

i think it may be safe to say that you can make the bimini rack work, with patience, beer, and some home depot supplies. i'll definitely be using the speaker clamp idea, thanks to ksmith

KSmith

03-29-2011, 04:09 PM

Yup, beer helps :-) To illustrate what I meant by the rear support bars tower mounting point being below the bimini, the home page pictures of the LSV and XLV with the new tower are good examples of the support bars perhaps being below the bimini. The tower mounting point could then be on the rear leg of the tower below the bimini rather than the crossbar above the bimini. It may make it a bit more difficult to drop the bimini as the release points would be out futher and at least I cannot reach both legs at once so I would have to release one, move to the other sode and release the second ball hinge... but I am rather short too so you that have massive wing spans may not have any troubles ;-)

rdlangston13

04-06-2011, 09:53 PM

i dont mean to hurt anyones feelings with the monster rack but after looking at all these pictures i sure am glad my boat came with the Z5!

bbuhtz

04-07-2011, 10:08 AM

hell i'd take the Z5 over the monster any day, but replacing the factory bimini i just can't justify the cost of the Z5 over the moster. i couldn't agree more that the Z5 would be better.

i'm sure it could be modified to fit older models with the 1 5/8" tower... but then again why would someone spend that much from something they know they'll have to modify to fit. just doesn't make sense unless you have your heart out for the Z5 or you happen to get your hands on one for a cheap price.

11 Outback V

04-10-2011, 07:38 PM

For all those waiting on pics from me, well I actually took them today so I will be uploading them shortly.

11 Outback V

04-10-2011, 08:44 PM

Got to it sooner than I thought.
Any questions let me know

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff482/shouldihaveone/top1.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff482/shouldihaveone/top2.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff482/shouldihaveone/top3.jpg

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff482/shouldihaveone/top4.jpg

wolfeman131

04-10-2011, 10:36 PM

nice work! Monster really needs to make this standard or, at the very least, an option.

bbuhtz

04-11-2011, 07:50 AM

looks very good! i like that bar clamp mod

KSmith

04-12-2011, 04:17 PM

Nicely done!

11 Outback V

04-12-2011, 06:40 PM

Again, thanks for the help

Todd

BobP

06-05-2011, 01:17 PM

For those who used the krypt clamps, do these already have holes in them for the taco or do the holes need to be drilled into the clamp? Thanks.

11 Outback V

06-05-2011, 03:35 PM

No. You will have to drill and tap them yourself. Pretty simple to do and the tap is available at Lowes / Home Depot. but get two, youll probably break one....

BobP

06-05-2011, 10:19 PM

Thanks 11, any suggestions on which screws to use.

KSmith

06-06-2011, 08:54 AM

Thanks 11, any suggestions on which screws to use.

You will also need at least one 5/32 drill bit (more is better in case they dull or break). Also you will need a 10-24 Thread Tap to add thread to the mounting holes, I got mine from Sears. Then you will need 8 10-14 X 1/2 stainless screws (Lowes or Home Depot), and some LocTite (I used LocTite Red)

Look back at posts 60 & 61, they should list parts we used.

BobP

06-06-2011, 10:53 AM

Thanks KSmith, I knew I read it before but then thought I didn't...I kept on looking at post #60 but not #61. I apologize for asking when the excellent information was already provided. I still haven't decided what I am going to do, drill in tower or buy the clamps. I love the clamp idea, but the cost is a killer.

BobP

07-14-2011, 07:30 PM

I finally installed the Monster cargo bimini a few weeks ago. I decided to drill the tower rather than use the clamps. So far we love it, more for the storage of boards than the shade it provides. Here is a pic of it installed, sorry, all i have, taken last weekend. That's my wife in the back with our little one in the red hat that you can barely see. Thanks for all of the input on the install.

bbuhtz

07-15-2011, 04:41 PM

looks good bob!

wolfeman131

07-19-2011, 09:48 PM

So far we love it, more for the storage of boards than the shade it provides.

Looks pretty good Bob! Yours might be mounted further towards the bow than mine from looking at the pic. Maybe if you moved it toward the stern you would get more shade for the little man?

And get some pics of him posted!

BobP

07-20-2011, 12:15 AM

Thanks guys. Yes Drew, it's definitely farther forward than yours. I can probably go back a little but the speakers would end up hitting the ribs and pushing the bimini even lower. We can get shade and just move with Ben as the shade moves. It's been a struggle getting on the boat with Ben, he is still a little guy and hates wearing his vest...but we still manage to have some fun, he really likes the water.

I'll post some pics, not sure which group would be most appropriate.

KSmith

07-20-2011, 10:46 AM

Looks Great Bob! Yeah, the speakers can be an issue. I ended up not mounting my tower speakers so I could mount the bimini up higher for more headroom, but I am thinking about mounting them and lowering the bimini... easy enough to do with the clamps, no new holes to drill if I decide to mount teh tower speakers... or I could mount the speakers on top am have the Mickey Mouse profile thing goin on ;)

BobP

07-20-2011, 04:07 PM

KSmith, thanks, yeah, having the clamps gives you tons of flexibility. I don't mind where the bimini is on our boat...and actually seem to hit it with our heads less than the speakers by themselves which somebody always seemed to nail.

KSmith

07-21-2011, 07:14 AM

Good point Bob about hitting the speakers with ones head, done that before LOL, I guess one is less likely to hit ones head on the bimini as it is in sight more so that the speakers...

I really would like to mount the four speakers I bought for the tower (Polks with Aerial double bullet cans) but I do really like the height of the bimini currently as it allows me to spin my fully loaded Roswell board racks all the way into the boat. When I had the Monster Tower Cargo bimini mounted lower, or the stock bimini, the swivel racks would hit the bimini so they only spun in about half way...

Seems I just can't make everything work together the way I would like it, sacrifices must be made... UNLESS... Hmm... perhaps I could talk the wife into a Supra 22 Launch... right about the same time I win the Lotto LOL...

Oh well... I do always have the Mickey Mouse option I suppose...

BobP

07-25-2011, 08:06 AM

After seeing the tower/speaker pic thread, I stay away from the Mickey Mouse look...better for the bimini and head clearance but aesthetically challenged.